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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · perch · cabinet · bass · wake · coach · vault · stick

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. vault — a safe
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wake — a trail
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com